Category: Blogs

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Are you winning?

Off the back of athletes racing yesterday at the last race of the 2XU Triathlon Series, I thought I would re-share this experience I had during race season in 2016….

I crossed paths with an old friend/athlete at the pool recently. After the initial how are you’s, he asked “So are you winning?” Without even thinking about my answer I replied, “I haven’t raced in a few weeks, so……” But before I could finish, he cut me off: “No, I didn’t mean are you winning races, I meant are you winning at life?“

The question thew me in the moment. I actually didn’t know what to say.  Whenever anyone has asked how I was going, they generally mean ‘how’s training going?’ And when I’m racing, the question generally isn’t “how are you going?” It’s always “How did your race go?” or “Did you win your race?”  It was engrained in me to answer a question about winning in terms of training and racing.

So when the friend asked me if I was winning, my immediate reaction was to talk racing. And it stunned me, that this was the first thought that came to my mind. And I wouldn’t be surprised if this was many triathletes first thought (consiously or subconsiously). We spend time with so many others in the triathlon world that the culture is to always talk training and racing, and numbers, and PB’s. How often do your fellow triathletes ask how your ‘life’ is going? How your partner is going? Whether you are happy? Whether you are healthy? Many of us find ourselves so absorbed with the world of triathlon that we forget there is so much more than just training and racing.

So it got me thinking. What does it mean to be winning in life? What does that look like? What does that feel like? If I was asked the question again, what would my answer be?

So I assessed the key areas in my life that are important to ME:

  • My health / happiness
  • My relationship
  • My friends & family
  • My Work/life & training balance
  • Achieving my racing & life goals

I reviewed each area to ensure if someone asked me the question again, I could easily answer. I may not always be ‘winning’ in each of these key areas, because life isn’t all rosy, but as long as I am consistently winning.

And so it was this conversation that reminded me again that triathlon isn’t just about racing, and it certainly is not just about winning races, or searching for that next PB.  Life is about SO much more.

So next time if I’m asked the question, I’ll wholeheartedly reply: “I’m most definitely winning. I have my health, and I am genuinely happy. I have an amazing partner who means the world to me and we support each other in our own aspirations and through our own challenges. I have friends and family that I treasure and who are there for me – not just talk triathlon! And I have found a great work/life and training balance to allow me to enjoy all these amazing people in my life. All the while achieving my racing and life goals. Am I winning? Hell Yes I am winning!”

And next time someone asks you ‘Did you win?‘ Think twice before you answer and ask yourself first – are you winning at life? And then give them your answer.

Happy training, racing & life! 😉

Coach Sarah

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Sarah is the Director & Head Coach at Complete Per4mance Coaching. Born out of the desire and passion to not just coach but to educate athletes, Sarah shares her 10 years of coaching and racing experience, knowledge and education with athletes of all levels to help them achieve their optimal performance while maintaining a balanced, happy and healthy life.

Contact Sarah to discuss training options for you.

 

 

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How becoming a mum has changed me

An honest and open account on the changes motherhood has brought to my personal life, my working life, my training and me as a person. 

People told me before having my little one that it would ‘change my life forever‘ and my ‘life wouldn’t be the same again‘.  It was those same people that had children themselves, of which were given the same words of wisdom by others before them.

Of course I knew that life wasn’t going to be the same. Because life wasn’t just going to be about me anymore.  But at the same time, I didn’t know exactly what it would look like, or how it would feel. I knew that it would change our dynamics at home, my working structure, and it would alter how and when I could train but above all else, what I wasn’t expecting was how it has changed me as a person.

Our little man Mills is now 6 months old, and such a little dude already. “Little M” as I affectionately call him. He has a lot of nicknames already, but this is my fav simply because he is so teeny, smashing the charts in the mere 10th percentile!  So yes, he is blessed to have inherited both our short @rse genes which almost guarantees he’ll be that small fella in the front row of school photos.  He’ll be the little whippet on the football oval running all day long, and I have no doubt riding bikes before his feet can even touch the pedals! But what he lacks in size I know will be made up in every other way.

He’s already started to show his own little personality. He doesn’t like sitting still for long (I can thank myself for that one!), yet has the most relaxed chilled out nature – which has made my ‘job‘ as a mum very easy. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a baby and will cry when he wants something or is uncomfortable, has his nights when he wants to party, and doesn’t go to bed before 9pm. But in the most part, he’s smiley, happy, and loves cuddles from everyone and anyone. He hangs to get outside each day and is fascinated by trees. It’s amazing how such a tiny little human can already be moulding into his own little person.

ANYWAY – back on track! But at least you can now get a picture of our special little dude.  🙂

Before Little M arrived into our lives, we had a pretty relaxed, organised, yet carefree life. We both trained when we wanted (my partner is a cyclist), we could head away for the weekend without much planning, we could ride our bikes all day long if we chose. We could stay up late, and wake up whenever our bodies woke. There was no timeline apart from the one we set ourselves. Fast forward to today and we’re learning to live with and work around the needs of a small human that is 100% dependent on you, so all of that has changed – but certainly not for the worst! 🙂

How have things changed?

My Working Life
I decided early on in my pregnancy that I didn’t want to have much time off work. I love my job and what I can offer people and I love the satisfaction it provides me. I didn’t want to be away from that for very long. As much as others tried to advise me to take more time off, it only took a couple of months for me and I was already jumping out of my skin to get back into the coaching scene.

So I’ve been back coaching since December, gradually taking athletes back on board each month based on how I feel I can manage my time and still provide the support my athletes expect and deserve. But it does look totally different than before bubs. Pre Mills I would plan out my week day by day (heck, nearly hour by hour), I would set times that I would complete certain tasks and know when I was doing what. I could meet up with athletes on a whim, and run training sessions without too much thought.

But today, that simply isn’t possible. I still write lists on what I want/need to achieve for the week, but the hourly planning has gone out the window. And it is more of a challenge to meet for training sessions. I have to be far more flexible, yet also very organised. As much as Little M is in a routine, that routine isn’t set in stone. He doesn’t know what time it is, when I ‘m on a time line or that I have to finish writing a program for an athlete. And to make it even more challenging, he hasn’t taken to enjoying milk from a bottle, so I’m literally his lifeline, his milkbar on call whenever he says so! (guys really do get it easier in all aspects don’t they!) 😉

There have been days when he’s been unsettled and I haven’t been able to get any work done, but then others when I’ve been able to knock out a solid 7 hours.  There will be times that I get up and work early in the morning when he’s still sleeping  or at night when my partner is home. So as much as I feel like my days aren’t as effective as they once were, I’m definitely far more efficient with the time that I do spend working.

I’m loving the challenge of balancing work, life and bubs and on the most part – I feel I have a great balance. And I feel like it is working well for me and most importantly for my athletes.

And on my athletes – I totally appreciate the support I have from each of them. There have been times that I’ve had to reschedule a phone chat, or an email has taken a day longer to respond to. So I appreciate their understanding that that is the life of a working mum, but it certainly doesn’t mean that their training, racing and performance is any less important to me than before. Quite opposite actually. I could so easily just not work. To take 12months off like many working mums do, to enjoy the precious moments with my attention spent on him wholly. But that’s not me. I am grateful that I can combine the love of my son, with the love of my work together. And I’ve loved taking Little M down to the local races to watch my athletes our on course. It’s such a special feeling and something that I intend to continue to share.

My Training Life
I love training. I love it just as much as I do racing. I honestly feel like I was born to push and test my body, because it’s when I feel at my best. 6 months postpartum and I’ve managed to race a handful of races already including some crit racing and a local triathlon. I was (and still are) far from being my fittest or strongest – but who said you have to be ready to race? (read my last blog on that here.) I’m lucky/blessed – however you like to term it, that from around 3months old, out little man has slept through the night. Giving me a solid 7-9hours of sleep a night. (I have chosen to forget about the horrible 2 weeks when he was 4months old and he reverted back to waking every 2 hours!) So lack of sleep is not the issue for me in being able to train.

The two (maybe three) driving factors for me that is keeping my training volume low is my shift in priorities (right now it’s about him not me), his lack of interest in taking a bottle means i’m on call whenever he says so! And co-ordinating training with my fiance. (think that is the first time I’ve actually written fiance!) 🙂 And I am totally AOK with all of them. Right now, I am more than happy to be the role of mother, providing love and support at home so the two most important men in my life can be their happiest, healthiest selves. Saying that out loud makes my heart explode with so much love and that truly is what makes me happy right now. If I wanted to train hard, I most certainly could, and I would find a way to do it. But I don’t want to, and I don’t feel the pressure or need to either.

Don’t get me wrong though, I still make time for myself and exercise every day – as I believe that is important for every person, not just new mums. But that’s exactly what it is for me – exercise. Doing what makes me feel good, both physically and mentally. Sometimes that’s simply getting outside for a long walk and doing some strength training, other times it’s runs and rides, or a combination of both. But no matter what it is, I just do what my body feels like it needs, and it is paying me back by providing a healthy milk supply for my little man and a strong body to enable me to race whenever I choose to, even without training specifically.


And Me…
Earlier this month I heard and read about the heart wrenching story of a well known female figure in our sport who lost her baby girl at birth. They say that when you have children you are affected so much more by tragic stories such as this. And my god this is true. When I heard the news I was absolutely devastated for her, and the many mothers before her and after her that have and will have to endure that sort of heartache. A couple of weeks later she started to blog about her experience – not necessarily to share with others, but to help her on her journey to recovery. They are raw, devastatingly honest and emotionally heart-wrenching. Reading her blogs stabbed me in the heart and hit me so hard that I truly did not expect and it took me off guard.  After reading the blogs I didn’t want to leave my little boy alone. I didn’t want him out of my sight, I just wanted to cuddle him all day long, not letting him out of my sight for a moment. I thought that if he was with me, nothing could happen to him, that I’d be able to control what we did and when and he would be safe. I planted so many kisses all over his body that I’m sure if he could talk, he would say ‘mum – stop kissing me!‘.

It took a couple of days for this feeling to lift as I realised that I couldn’t be his saviour, I simply had to be his mum. To love him and protect him and help him learn and navigate this world in his own way – and eventually on his own. And it was then that I realised how much being a mum had changed me.

I was someone who always needed to control things in my life. I didn’t like surprises, I liked planning and organising, I’d take my time in making decisions. I didn’t do things spur of the moment. But looking back, since becoming a mum, I realise that motherhood has actually changed that part of me. I’m more relaxed and carefree and happy to go with the flow. Things that spring up or surprise me don’t bother me, I simply deal with it and move on. Because who has the time to worry about what could have been, should have been, or might have been? I certainly don’t anymore.

And I have far more patience. My dad even commented on this, saying how proud it made him to me see me as a mum. He also said it changed me – but  in a good way. He said that he can see it has relaxed me, slowed me down and I now don’t get frustrated when I feel like others ‘couldn’t keep up’ with me. (not literally, but figuratively) And without even realising it, it had. And I love it.

People say that motherhood is stressful, but my experience so far has been the opposite. It has calmed me. It has allowed me to simply accept what the day brings. I love the mess my little man makes when learning to eat food, even if I had just changed him into clean clothes. Instead of getting frustrated when he cries or won’t stop grizzling, I try and understand what it is he is trying to tell me. I don’t stress about what time he wakes up in the morning, sometimes it’s 6am, other times 8.00am. Because either is fine. I don’t worry if he sleeps for 3 hours in the afternoon, even if the guidelines say he shouldn’t be… And I let him tell me when he’s hungry, I don’t go by a clock. I wonder at times if I may be a little too relaxed (is that possible?!) but I certainly don’t feel guilty by that at all. Because this is my experience as a working mum and it’s working for me and my family, and that’s all that matters.

Here’s to the next few months of changes, challenges and learnings and plenty more awesome improvements, performances and breakthroughs from my athletes! 🙂

Coach Sarah

 



Complete Per4mance Coaching was born out of the desire and passion to not just coach but to educate athletes of all levels to help them achieve their optimal performance while maintaining a balanced, happy and healthy life.

Every athlete is individual, therefore I provide programs written and designed specifically based on each athletes goals, time commitment, training level and ‘life’ in general. Delivered through training peaks, each athlete receives a truly personal coaching service dedicated to improving YOUR results, while providing a pricing structure that helps allow every athlete receive the coaching that they deserve.

Contact me for a FREE initial coaching consultation to discuss your training and coaching options.

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Racing for more than yourself

Most of us started in this sport for similar reasons; to have fun, meet new people, get fit, try something new or challenge ourselves…. As we progress in the sport those reasons can shift, take shape, and form into something more. Why we train every day and why we race start to have different meanings and can become extremely powerful and heartfelt.  Some athletes even find themselves in a position to be able to race not just for themselves, but for a bigger cause. 

We recently caught up with CPC athlete Margaret Mielczarek as she races towards the Half Ironman World Championships for a reason far bigger than chasing her own goals. Read on to find out what racing at the Half Ironman World Championships now means for athlete Margs. 

CPC: You’ve been in the sport for a while now, what got you started?
Margs: After taking part in fun runs for a few years I got bored of ‘just running’ so I decided to buy a road bike and signed up to my first mini tri in Elwood. It was possibly the hardest thing I had ever done but I was hooked! It was love at first sight and I haven’t looked back since! 🙂

CPC: And what keeps you going now?
Margs: I am addicted to the feeling you get after a hard workout/training session. I love being fit and healthy, and knowing I can go out for a 10km run at lunchtime like it’s no big deal is awesome. I also have some big goals I want to tick off in this sport, first one being the Ironman (IM) 70.3 World Championships (I qualified in Busso last year) in South Africa this year. Getting to Kona one day would be a dream as well. I don’t think I’ll stop until I get there … even if that means doing tri until I’m 80 and the last one left in my age group! haha.

CPC: Your passion for triathlon also extends into your professional career, for those who don’t know, what does your job involve?
Margs: I’m Deputy Editor at Australian Triathlete magazine … the number one triathlete magazine in the country 🙂 I LOVE my job! I’m so lucky because I literally get to live and breathe this sport! My role is pretty diverse, which is great. I write, cover races, coordinate freelance writers and contributors; this is just to name a few things that I do.

CPC: Triathlon has also taken you around the world, what has been your favourite memory to date?
Margs: Hands down – Kona, Hawaii. I’ve been there twice (or is that three times…?) and I love it. I love the Big Island – the vibe, the people, and, of course the Ironman. My favourite memory of the Big Island is the Kona Undie Run – so much fun. If you ever get the chance to be in Kona for the Ironman make sure you do the Undie Run … it is the best!

CPC: You’ve had some big changes in the last few months, including a new coach, how are you finding things? 
Margs:  The last couple of months have been massive. Without going into too much detail my life has completely changed and I’ve had to re-adjust to a whole new routine … Long story short I moved back home just before Christmas. So, because I’m now no longer living so close to training and work I had to reconsider my training/coaching options. After deliberating all of my options, I decided to approach Sarah at CPC about a personalised program leading into the IM 70.3 World Championships. Sarah was my coach when I first started in triathlon and we work really well together – she gets me 🙂  So I new it would work and would be a great fit, and so far I’m absolutely loving it!
I do most of my training on my own (to make it work around my job, commute and other commitments) so it’s brilliant knowing my program is tailored around my lifestyle and commitments. Also, knowing that Sarah can see whether or not I’ve completed my set training session (ah, the beauty of being on Training Peaks) is a major motivator! I definitely don’t want to leave any sessions ‘red’ when I know coach is watching haha! Also, because I’ve known and have been friends with Sarah for years … she knows all my weaknesses and my excuses, and knows how to kick my butt into gear when I get lazy or fall off the wagon.

CPC: Despite the lead in (read more on that here), you had a great race at Ironman Busselton 70.3 in December last year and secured yourself a place at the 70.3 World Champs in September, congrats!
Margs: PINCH. ME. This sort of thing does not happen to me! I had planned to compete (read: participate) in the Ironman at Busso but unfortunately due to some significant medical issues I had to pull out of the full. I was lucky to get an entry to the 70.3 but I was still undecided whether I’d actually race until literally the morning of the event – it was dependent on how I felt on the day.  I decided to race on the proviso that I would take it easy (the goal was just to roll around the course and enjoy it) and pull out if I felt unwell. Anyway, fast forward a few hours that day and all of a sudden I found myself standing on the stage, accepting a spot to the IM 70.3 World Championships! Ahh-mazing! South Africa here I come!

CPC: But the world champs are more than just a race for you now, tell us a bit more…
Margs: Sadly, recently someone very, very dear to me was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. To witness someone so close to you having to go through the realisation and all the emotions that come with it is heartbreaking. So I’ve decided it’s time to give back and to use this sport for a greater good. I’m not just going to be racing for myself, I’ll be racing for those close to me, and all those devastated by cancer. So my goal is to raise at least $3000 for the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) leading into worlds in September. Cancer of any sort is devastating for all those it effects, so it’s time to say a big FU to cancer!

CPC: How can others support your cause?
Margs: That’s super easy. I’ll be sharing my journey along the way,so you can follow me, and make a donation. All you have to do is click here – any donation, big or small, is very much appreciated and means a lot – every little bit helps!

For more on the OCRF, visit – ocrf.com.au

 

What a powerful reason to continue to strive for her own goals, while helping a cause now extremely close to her own heart. We all wish Margs a great lead in, and health and happiness to those close to her and all those affected by cancer. 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE and support Margs cause.

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Who says you have to be ready?

With the Christmas New Year break pretty much all but forgotten for another year, the racing season is now back in full swing. At this time of the year there is an abundance of races you can choose from. Pick a weekend and somewhere close by there will be a race being held. It’s such a great time of the year to be a part of the sport of triathlon and cycling!

Yet chatting to a number of athletes, and I’m finding that many are deciding not to race at the moment. And after chatting further, it all came back to the same reason…

So if you are not racing at the moment, ask yourself – why ?

Are you coming off the back of a long course race at the end of last year and building back that strength, endurance and speed again? Or maybe you are recovering from an injury? Has the time off over the holiday period and that little extra Christmas pudding left you feeling slower and heavier, so you are waiting until you get the fitness and weight back in check?  Do you not feel quite at your peak yet? Or not quite ready to test your training out in a race? Maybe you are waiting for the ‘right’ time. The right race. The right circumstances for you to be ready?

The common theme I’m finding as to why athletes don’t race is centred around believing they are not ready to race yet.

But who says you have to be ‘ready’ to race? And what does being ready even look like? Why can’t you just go out and race because you feel like it? To learn from it? To gain physical and mental strength from it?

If you have been in your base training but haven’t done your race specific prep yet, does it matter? You will finish and you will be fine AND you may just surprise yourself! Racing isn’t always about being ‘ready’. It’s about putting yourself out there. It’s about learning and discovering how to push yourself.

Every race doesn’t have to be raced for a PB. (as nice as a PB is!) 

I’ll be racing a short course race this weekend – my first triathlon since having my little man 5 months ago. But I certainly haven’t trained specifically for it. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been in the pool in the last 12 months. My running (aka jogging) is with a pram and on average once a week (if that), and my cycling is sporadic – and mostly on the trainer, but I’ve been strength training and walking. Loads. I’m definitely not ‘ready’ to race, but in my mind, I don’t know when I will be. And what does it matter anyway? I’m fit, and I’m healthy and I love training and I love racing. So why not race?

My old athlete self would never have toed a start line without being ‘ready’. I would not have even considered it. I remember conversations I’ve have with athletes a few years ago and they would ask if I was racing. If I wasn’t I’ll tell them – ‘no I’m not ready to race yet‘, ‘can’t you just race to enjoy it?’ I remember one athlete ask back. And I remember at the time that I quipped back ‘I’d rather not race at all….‘  Back then, I was all or nothing. If I hadn’t put everything into training, then I felt I wouldn’t be able to put everything into a race. And there was no way I was going into a race without being race ready.

How wrong my old self was!

If I could go back and advise my old self, I would tell the younger me that it is ok to race even if you aren’t 100% ready. As long as you give 100% of whatever you have on the day – then you are winning. And you will gain from it. You will learn from it. And you will be motivated from it. You don’t have to be ‘race ready’ to get the benefits from a race. It is often these races that athletes actually gain more from than the ones when they are ready.

Of course when you are fully prepared you get the results and the rewards, but it is the races when you come in without expectations, you learn how to mentally push yourself when your body physically doesn’t want you to. It is these races where you can surprise yourself, and when you will learn more about yourself.

There are plenty of goals you can have for a race. Even if you are underdone. You just have to be prepared to put yourself out there.

So go into a race underdone – but with a different goal. You may have been working tirelessly on your bike leg which has previously been your weakness, but that’s left your run underdone. So go in with the purpose of racing hard on the bike and letting the run be what it will be.

Your training may have fallen off the bandwagon as you search for a new goal, if so, then use the race to get that fire in the belly back.

You may be returning from injury and can’t run – enter as a team.

Every race you do you experience and learn from. So the more racing you do, the more you will learn. About how to race, what the body is capable of, how to read racing conditions, race tactics… the list is endless.

So stop putting off entering a race because you don’t feel ready. Enter and throw yourself into it. You won’t regret it!

 

Coach Sarah

Complete Per4mance Coaching is triathlon, cycling and running coaching for athletes seeking a performance edge. My coaching is born out of the desire and passion to not just coach but to educate athletes of all levels to help them achieve their optimal performance while maintaining a balanced, happy and healthy life.

Every athlete is individual, therefore I provide programs written and designed specifically based on each athletes goals, time commitment, training level and ‘life’ in general. Delivered through training peaks, each athlete receives a truly personal coaching service dedicated to improving YOUR results, while providing a pricing structure that helps allow every athlete receive the coaching that they deserve.

Contact me to discuss your training and coaching options. 

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2017 – a year in review

Was this the biggest year yet? 

It has been a big year  both personally and professionally, so much has happened that the year has just flown by! But it’s still hard to believe we are preparing to close out another year already! (How does it sneak up so fast every year?!)

2017 had a lot of milestones and celebrations. It was in March of this year that I announced my next big event . No it wasn’t a return to Ironman racing, instead I was expecting the arrival of a little mini me. Something that was going to require far more dedication, time and energy than any Ironman I’d ever done! Fast-forward to the 18th August and our little man Mills Lucas Mulkearns arrived safe and sound, but not before putting up a mighty good fight! (clearly takes after me!) 😉 

As I spent the first few weeks of his life finding my feet and adjusting to motherhood, I made the decision that it was time for a change in my professional career and I decided to go solo in my coaching endeavours and so ‘Complete Per4mance Coaching‘ was born. Read more here.

As hard as change can be, once you make a decision, do it for the right reasons, and give it your everything then it will always be a success. In just a couple of months, CPC has already grown three fold and I am coaching athletes from all walks of life including:

  • Triathlete Mums
  • Single dads
  • A-Grade cyclists
  • World Championship Qualifiers
  • Up and coming triathletes
  • Recreational cyclists
  • Off-road competitors
  • Health enthusiasts
  • And those who simply love to train and race!

I love the challenge that Coaching brings each and every day. Every athlete is unique in their own way. Personalities, what drives each individual, what they strive for, their strengths and areas of improvements. Everyone is different and it is these differences that makes coaching both challenging and rewarding at the same time. But I wouldn’t have it any other way!

As CPC started to take shape, so did my own training and regaining some of my pre-bubs fitness and strength. It still amazes me what a womans body can do and continues to do to ensure the life of another little human remains happy and healthy. Balancing that with working back my own fitness while building a new business is a fine balance. But just like I would build a program for any athlete, I looked at what I wanted to achieve – both short and long term, what time I had to dedicate and set the steps in place to gradually build to those achievements. First and foremost ensuring that my little man was always number one. So to begin the transition, it has all been simply about movement, consistently. Easy aerobic sessions while building strength. That in itself allowed me to toe the start line just 3 months post baby in a return to crit racing and back in the winners circle. Read about my return to racing ‘The Winning Mentality‘ here.

What’s in store for 2018?

2018 is shaping up to be a big year with athletes racing all over the country. The year kick starts with short course racing in Melbourne and Country Victoria, and rolls into long course racing including Geelong 70.3, Challenge Melbourne, Ironman / 70.3 Port Macquarie, Ironman Cairns/Asia Pacific Championships, Ironman 70.3 World Championships plus plenty of other racing including Open Water Swims, Peaks Challenge Falls Creek, Otway Odyssey and more!

With so much variation and variety over the next 6-8months of racing, it’s hard not to get excited!

So here’s to a fabulous year ahead for each of our CPC athletes and friends. I’ve coached hundreds of athletes over my 10 years of coaching and I still have a passionate interest in watching every athlete continue to develop in their own way, following their own journeys as they shape and grow as athletes and individuals. My only wish for everyone is they continue to strive for their optimal per4mance while maintaining a balanced, happy and healthy life.

Coach Sarah xx

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Every athlete is individual, therefore I provide programs written and designed specifically for you based on your goals, time commitment, training level and ‘life’ in general. Delivered through training peaks, you will receive a truly personal coaching service dedicated to improving YOUR results.  Find out more…

Should you like to find out how I can help you achieve your New Years Goals, contact me for a FREE coaching consultation. 

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Embracing change

Life can bring a lot of changes. In one instance your life is on one trajectory and then something comes up and changes that, and all of a sudden you find yourself in another direction. You may not have envisaged it, but I honestly believe that things in life happen for a reason. So dwelling on what should have been, could have been or would have been I feel, is wasting time and energy. So focusing on the NOW and what opportunities lie ahead – is what is most important.

Myself and my partner had talked about having kids – him more so than me! 😉 Children were on the cards and a part of our future planning, I just didn’t know when I’d be ready for them,  as I couldn’t picture a little human in my life just yet. I had just got back into competitive racing again and our coaching business was starting to thrive. But fast forward in time and all of a sudden I discover I’m growing a little mini me! Wow. It may not have been when I planned, but I knew instantly that it was meant to be. And in that instance, my life trajectory changed.

And now with a 3 month old that demands my attention at any hour of the day or night, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My life has definitely changed since he came into our world. He’s made me become more patient and understanding, he has forced me to slow down, yet I always feel busy.  Simply being able to head out for a run requires planning. To be able to get out on the bike I have found even harder, and swimming hasn’t even happened yet! 😉 On the work front I’ve been working when it suits him. Not me. There have definitely been lots of changes to navigate, and a new way of living to learn. But I have been loving the changes and the challenges!

For the mums out there I have always had respect for you, and now I can 100% relate. 🙂 It’s a big job – one that we will have for the rest of our lives.

All these changes in my personal life, ultimately brought about changes in my professional life too. The time allowed me to explore new challenges and redefine what I want from my career as a coach and my focus as an athlete all while juggling being a new mum.

And so with that, I recently made the decision that it was my time to leave Holistic Endurance and embark on a new challenge.  I hadn’t planned for it to happen, but as I said, changes happen and so it’s about embracing that change and making the most of where it can take you.

I have spent the last 3 years with my business partner Katee building up a business from just a handful of athletes to now a thriving and well known brand in the triathlon community. What Katee and I have been able to achieve in just 3 years has been a testament to our hard work and a credit to the athletes who have been open and willing to learn and share the journey with us. Sharing our own personal stories, coaching and educating athletes in all areas of training, racing, health and wellness has meant we have been able to make an impact on so many athletes lives. So a big thank you to Katee for allowing me to share the journey with her for the past 3 years. We’ve only just started touching the surface of making a change in our industry and there’s a long way still to go, but we can feel the shift happening and it’s exciting!

For me, my message has always been about balancing life with training, all while chasing your goals. And I truly believe they can co-exist and you can achieve this if you get the mix right. It does however take a specific type of coach to be able to do this and have the ability to get that balance just right. It’s easy to just prescribe more and more training, but get the balance right and the results are amazing!

As scary as change can be, I’m excited about the change, and bringing to life Complete Per4mance Coaching .  This will allow another means for athletes to find their triathlon/life balance and allow me to continue to influence athletes in our industry while explore my own coaching philosophy – all while being the best coach, mum, girlfriend, friend and athlete I can be!

What is Complete Per4mance Coaching?

Complete Per4mance Coaching is triathlon, cycling and running coaching for athletes seeking a performance edge. My coaching is born out of the desire and passion to not just coach but to educate athletes of all levels to help them achieve their optimal performance while maintaining a balanced, happy and healthy life.

Every athlete is individual, therefore I provide programs written and designed specifically based on each athletes goals, time commitment, training level and ‘life’ in general. Delivered through training peaks, each athlete receives a truly personal coaching service dedicated to improving YOUR results, while providing a pricing structure that helps allow every athlete receive the coaching that they deserve.

Contact me to discuss your training and coaching options. 

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